LAWRENCE — A three-year police contract approved this week lengthens officers’ shifts to 12 hours, freezes their salary this year and reduces starting pay for new officers, while promising cost of living increases in 2014 and 2015.

The new contract for officers belonging to the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 209 was ratified by the Township Council on Tuesday and runs through the end of 2015.

The union made a number of concessions as Lawrence struggles with an ongoing budget crunch, giving up the cost of living increase this year and agreeing to a reduction in starting salaries and changes in longevity pay, vacation days and retirement benefits.

The impact of the shift from 8 1/2-hour to 12-hour shifts will be reviewed at the end of this year and again at the end of 2014.

Council members and Town Manager Richard Krawczun thanked officers Tuesday night for their diligence and hard work in hammering out the new contract.

Krawczun said he has sometimes been the union’s harshest critic but was appreciative of the officers’ honesty and their good-faith effort to “help the town and their union to craft an agreement acceptable to both parties.”

Mayor Jim Kownacki said that, as a union worker himself, he understood the difficult process the officers went through and said it “took a lot” for them to reach the agreement.

After the 2013 pay freeze ends, patrol and superior officers will see increase of 1.95 percent in 2014 and 2.25 percent in 2015.

The starting salary for an officer fresh out of the academy was set at $30,000, down from $35,000.

It will increase after six months, and after a year of service salaries of officers who were hired this year will increase to $52,891. The maximum base pay for those newly hired officers was set at $102,102 after eight years of service, plus future cost of living increases.

The new contract freezes longevity pay at the amount received in 2012.

Officers not yet receiving longevity will stay at the first tier, which is $1,500. That amount will increase with the raises in 2014 and 2015.

New officers will not receive any longevity pay.

Officers hired in 2013 will also have their vacation days capped at 20 days and current officers will be capped at 25.

The payout of unused sick leave was also changed, with new officers slated to max out at $15,000 or as provided for in state statute. The maximum for current officers was set at $22,000.

Under the new contract, officers hired on or before June 28, 2011, are entitled to paid health benefits for up to 15 years when they retire, while those hired after that date will receive benefits for up to 10 years.